Search

Find Us On

Christian Reconstructionism

A version of Dominion Theology that is a relatively extreme aspect of the Christian Right and effectively theocratic. It is chiefly an American movement spelled out by Armenian-American R. J. Rushdoony (1916-2001) in the 1960's and 1970's and calls for a nation's laws and society to be based on the Ten Commandments as applied through the interpretations of a religious elite to everyday situations; necessarily, it rejects democracy and any form of secular political philosophy as an ideal foundation for government. Christian Reconstructionism's ideal society would include the elimination of public schools, the denial of full citizenship to non-Christians, and the death penalty for adultery, performing or having an abortion, blasphemy, homosexuality, heresy, and even persistant rebelliousness against ones parents, with the definitions of these terms and offenses being crafted by the religious elite.

Christian Reconstructionists, as is the case with many though not all members of the Christian Right, insist that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. (see AU.org "Is America a 'Christian Nation'")

note. Christian Reconstructionism's distant origins can be seen in the thought and governance of former Dutch Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) and the writings of Dutch-American Christian apologist Cornelius Van Til (1895-1987), which influenced Rushdoony.

Many on the Christian Right are unaware that they hold Reconstructionist ideas. Because as a theology it is controversial, even among evangelicals, many who are consciously influenced by it avoid the label. This furtiveness is not, however, as significant as the potency of the ideology itself......[Prominent Christian Reconstructionist] Gary North claims that "the ideas of the Reconstructionists have penetrated into Protestant circles that for the most part are unaware of the original source of the theological ideas that are beginning to transform them." North describes the "three major legs of the Reconstructionist movement" as "the Presbyterian oriented educators, the Baptist school headmasters and pastors, and the charismatic telecommunications system."